Dottore's unfettered research towards creating a god, or elevating humans to the level of gods, left him ostracized from mainstream society but paved the way for him to become the Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers,[6][7] with power comparable to the gods'.[8] No subject is off-limits to him, and he has researched Khaenri'ah's Automatons; researched ways to weaponize forbidden knowledge (via The Withering and Eleazar); and sought to utilize the power of dreams to elevate humanity's cognitive abilities, all for his goal of putting humans at the same level as gods. This ambition is the reason why Pantalone, who seeks to "overthrow the natural imbalance between gods and humans," works with Dottore,[9] alongside his dependence on the immortality elixir that only Dottore was able to produce.
Pursuing his research interests surpasses any of Dottore's moral scruples, which makes him an effective researcher but also often comes at the detriment of others. While the exact circumstances in which he was expelled from Sumeru Akademiya are unclear, his expulsion followed an investigation into the suspected murder of Sohreh and a series of infractions where he acted in pursuit of his research "without authorization."[10][11] Dottore's experiments are not limited to furthering his god-related research; upon witnessing the acceptance of the "Kabukimono" at Tatarasuna, Dottore orchestrated an experiment involving murder and perceived betrayal, claiming an interest in observing how the Kabukimono would respond.
To surpass the limits of his own human cognition and lifespan, Zandik created "segments" of himself after decades of research into puppet-making techniques using Scaramouche as a foundational blueprint.[12] Each segment represents Dottore at a different age in his life, made into an independent individual in order to preserve their perspectives. While the original Zandik died of old age around 350 years ago,[13][Note 2] Dottore's Omega Build views the creation of segments as his crowning achievement as a researcher and takes great delight in Lesser Lord Kusanali's disapproval of them. However, he secretly also resented the other segments and considered himself incomplete as a result of being a fragment of the original, which she successfully exploits this to coerce him into erasing the others in exchange for the ElectroGnosis.[14]
Dottore is despised by several of his Harbinger colleagues, including Arlecchino and Sandrone, for his tendency to value his research over everything else, regardless of the cost to others. However, he had a mutually beneficial cooperation with Crucabena before the latter's death at Arlecchino's hands,[15] and considers Pantalone a friend,[16] which is reciprocated.[17]
Appearance
Due to the existence of multiple segments at varying ages, Dottore has a larger number of unique physical appearances compared to other characters. Zandik and his segments all share the traits of wavy, light-blue hair, average or above-average height (barring his one child segment), red eyes, and a slender build. During his time at Sumeru Akademiya, Sohreh described him as "young" and "handsome."[18] His in-game model, introduced as the Omega Build, is based on his 35-year-old appearance.[13]
While the total number of segments created is unstated,[Note 3]Anomalous Tree Marrow II depicts a total of six major ages which Zandik created segments for: 8, 18, 25, 35, 45, and 65. However, Story Teaser: Those Who Shun the Light only highlights five unique segment appearances, with 35 sharing his hairstyle and mask with the segment seen in A Winter Night's Lazzo; Dottore's manga appearance is also unaccounted for.
Wore a plain white lab coat, black gloves, long blue drapery over his shoulders with a gold tip and blue gem on either end, a blue dress shirt, and a black collar or tie with a light-blue gem inlaid in gold at the center. Uses a black walking cane with a golden handle and wears a monocle on his right eye.
Died at 85 years old prior to the game's events[13]
8
Wore simple Sumeru-style garb of a light-colored robe with a dark collar and chest, and black-hemmed sleeves.
Wore a Sumeru Akademiya uniform and a golden four-pointed star earring on his right ear. Also wore an Akasha Terminal, as was standard by the time he joined the Akademiya.
25 / 45
Looks nearly identical to 35,[19] distinguished by the coat worn by all Fatui Harbingers in A Winter Night's Lazzo.[13][Note 4]
Omega Build (35)
Has medium-length, slicked-back wavy hair and wears a pointed, beak-shaped black mask that covers his eyes. He wears a long white coat over a blue dress shirt and cravat, with a raven-like accessory draped around his shoulders and a wing-like accessory behind his right shoulder. He is accented by several glowing, light blue accessories found around his person. He also wears black gloves with blue palms and black baggy pants. Based on his memories recorded in Irminsul, the Omega Build is derived from Dottore's appearance and personality 400 years ago, during which he perpetrated the Tatarasuna Mystery incident.[20]
Attire resembled that of a laboratory worker or surgeon. Wore a white cross-chest lab coat, forearm-length black gloves, a pair of silver-framed glasses, and a high-collared blue shirt.
Had the longest hair and wears a bulky dark coat with fur trim over a black suit, a raven mask resembling a plague doctor's with a gold beak and blue lenses, and a dark top hat. He is also shown walking with a light blue cane with a hooked, golden handle.
Unidentified Manga segment
Had short, curly light blue hair and wore a long white coat over a pinstripe vest and white dress shirt, with a pink bow tie under the collar. He wore a black and white mask which covered his entire face, save for his eyes and a circular area around the right side of his mouth. The Fatui symbol can be seen at the top left corner of this mask. Very similar to his young 18 years old version, but his age remains unclear.
Zandik was presumably born to a merchant family[21] several decades after the cataclysm. He was eventually chased out of his hometown with pitchforks and clubs.[7]
At a young age, he joined Sumeru Akademiya as a member of a yet-undisclosed Darshan (although Amurta[22] and Rtawahist[23] have been eliminated); Zandik disliked being constrained by Darshan designations and repeatedly rejected suggestions to join other Darshans. He was also critical of the overreliance on the Akasha System, as well as the Akademiya's general reticence about researching the Great Red Sand.[23]
Zandik's studies frequently took him to desert ruins. During one incident, he and a senior Rtawahist student entered Thoth's domain. The other student was injured while exploring, and their supplies began to run out. Thoth revealed himself by possessing a cat, intrigued by Zandik's intellect. However, Zandik distrusted Thoth's promises of power without revealing its drawbacks, while despite Thoth recognized Zandik's intellect, he also recognized his supreme arrogance, and feared for the safety of Zandik's partner. Zandik ultimately rejected Thoth's gift, while Thoth tricked Zandik into believing keeping his companion safe was necessary for their escape by telling him that only descendants of Tulaytullah could enter and leave the domain freely.[Note 5] Zandik's notes contained a warning directed to anyone else who might come to the ruins, urging them against trusting Thoth.[23]
The Zandik's Legacy series of interactables include some other anecdotes related to his desert expeditions, which led to the incidents that caused him to be expelled from the Akademiya. A trip to the ancient desert city of Gurabad led him to encounter Khaenri'ahn machines and technology; unaware of their origins, but realizing they were made by a civilization not under the rule of The Seven, he dubbed them the "Gurabad samples." However, they were fragmented and incomplete, leaving him few leads to continue researching.[24][25]
His interest was renewed during an Ardravi Valley expedition as a trainee Dastur, where he discovered and entered another Ruin Golem. Inside, he found many pieces that were missing from the Gurabad samples, and believed that he would be able to repair the machine's automatic system with these parts. He also discovered the records left behind by the Schwanenritter (which the Traveler uncovers several centuries later as well), and tied them back to the legends about the Ruins of Dahri.[25] During the expedition, Zandik was partnered with an Amurta Dastur named Sohreh. Although she initially found him "rigid" and bemoaned that their two Darshans' research styles clashed too much for them to have anything to talk about, they eventually made conversation about local plants and animals. Sohreh describes it as "a great time," and her note ends with a remark about how they would go on a picnic together later that night.[22]
What happened next is unclear. The next record involving them is the Ragged Attendance Record, which states that Zandik had "acted without authorization for the third time." The record goes on to list a gravely injured Sohreh, who was ostensibly attacked by Rishboland Tigers.[11] Soon after, the team was attacked by a "killing machine" which Zandik disabled with his quick thinking. However, his desire to bring it back to the Akademiya for disassembly and reverse-engineering was rebuked by his peers and teachers. As punishment, Sage Sharnama delisted him from the author list of the paper that the expedition had been writing. During this time, Sohreh died and was buried.[26]
Sometime afterwards,[10] Zandik was also involved in some sort of medical research related to Eleazar in Apam Woods, recorded in some Ragged Records. The lab's child subjects all disappeared mysteriously, which Zandik believed was the result of interference by the Aranara, a ley line/elemental creature with the power to control dreams. This led him to conclude that by capturing and controlling the Aranara, human intelligence could be "elevated [...] to a whole new level," and humanity could "transcend the earthly boundaries."[27] He also participated in Eleazar research in Dar al-Shifa, in which he successfully managed to cure an Eleazar patient named Abbas by using "materials" procured from the remains of other deceased patients.[28] Abbas, however, was deeply scarred by his treatment and, believing a cure for the disease to be blasphemous, eventually dug his way out of the hospital out of sheer desperation.[29]
By this point, Zandik was openly proclaiming that humans were "nothing more than a machine of a certain level of complexity," and that they could be modified to create powerful "enhanced humans." Despite knowing the dangers of espousing such rhetoric, Zandik strove to remain in the Akademiya, as it was an environment which allowed him to perform his research.[7] Nevertheless, investigators at the Akademiya grew suspicious. Sohreh's remains were exhumed and dissected to verify her cause of death. Despite the lacerations and hemorrhaging, the actual fatal injury was a fractured hyoid bone — which suggested she had died from strangulation, not from lacerations or blood loss like the rest of the Investigation Team was led to believe.[30] His interest in Eleazar was investigated, with notes about the sudden disappearance of records followed by an "Eleazar outbreak." The last legible parts of the message board's notes on Zandik mention that prior to his disappearance, he expressed great interest in the Legend of Varuna.[10]
Eventually, Zandik was expelled from the Akademiya and took refuge in the desert.[6][7]
Fatui Involvement
After his expulsion, Zandik was approached by Pierro, who invited him to become part of the Fatui with the promise of resources for his research. He agreed, and was given the title of Il Dottore, or The Doctor — which he found humorously ironic.[7]
Dottore also performed experiments with several human subjects regarding an acute toxicity test, during which only one of the five subjects survived, who was a twenty-year old man named Feofan Sergeyevich Veksel, who later became the Harbinger known as Pantalone. Dottore would supply Feofan with various experimental drugs. Although Zandik was the first to monitor him, this was taken up by his segments following his death.[31]
Under Pierro's orders, Dottore infiltrated Tatarasuna to sabotage the Mikage Furnace as part of their plans for Inazuma in the future. Posing as a Fontainian engineer named Escher, Dottore supplied the furnace with materials that slowly released Tatarigami into the environment, causing the workers to become sick and the furnace itself to go critical. When the Armory Officer, Niwa Hisahide, headed inside the furnace in order to fix it, Dottore murdered him to cover up his own trail.
During this chain of events, Dottore met and developed an interest in Kabukimono, a discarded puppet created by Ei, and conspired with Pierro to induct him into the Fatui. After murdering Niwa, Dottore cut out his heart and planted it inside a special device which could cleanse the furnace's impurities. He gave this device to Kabukimono, who managed to purify the furnace but was horrified by the contents of the box. Knowing full well that Kabukimono had deeply respected Niwa, Dottore proceeded to lie that the heart was from an innocent servant that Niwa had killed before fleeing. Thinking that Niwa had betrayed him, the puppet was left enraged and disgusted, and went on to join the Fatui as the Sixth Harbinger Scaramouche[32] later after the events of his third betrayal and years of wandering. Scaramouche collaborated with Dottore, who modified him to unlock his power, and grant him abilities even beyond what Ei had originally given him.[33]
Dottore visited Pantalone and revealed an idea for an experiment. Pantalone agreed to it and direct him to a remote Snezhnayan village.[34]
At some point Dottore collaborated with Sandrone in an experiment which revolved around high temperatures. An accident occurred which caused a substance to explode. However, disregarding safety precautions, Dottore instead ordered a subordinate to open the device which caused a poisonous gas to leak out. Sandrone barely managed to contain the incident, but was left infuriated when Dottore simply remarked that the experiment was a waste of his time and left her to clean up his mess.
After several decades of studying the methods used to create Scaramouche,[12] Zandik created several segments of himself in order to gain perspectives from his different stages of life. These segments are created with rare materials, implicitly Irminsul wood, and are time-consuming to produce, making them highly valuable to him.[14] He created at least six of them at various stages of his life; one child and five adults, one of which would be the Omega Build, and they referred to him as Zandik or the "main." The original Zandik tried to extend his lifespan to no avail. On the day of his eighty-fifth birthday, he fell down and was wounded. He begged his segments to help, but instead, they simply stood around and watched him die, seeing it as a rare opportunity for self-dissection. They recorded the procedure, and while some segments expressed sadness over his death, they used the procedure as a way to better test the capabilities of the Elixir.[19]
Dottore showed some interest in kuuvahki when he was researching the Light Realm, and during the time Columbina was a Harbinger, he asked her to use her powers to assist with his studies.[35] They kept up good relations for around 300-400 years, with her arriving long enough ago that the original Zandik was alive.[19] During this time, he saw Columbina as a younger sister of sorts and they got along, although his warped perception of what familial affection ought to be like also meant he sought to exploit her. Though he never directly harmed her and was genuine in his intentions (by her own word), she still felt their relationship was too similar to the one she left the Frostmoon Scions to escape and cut him off. He seemingly didn't comprehend what he did to drive her away, and would occasionally watch her from afar as she stood outside to gaze at the moon.[36][37][38]
Dottore also had an arrangement with the former Fatui Harbinger Crucabena, who would occasionally send him greviously injured "rejects" from her experimentation in the House of the Hearth in exchange for any results he could obtain from them himself.[15] After she was killed by Peruere, Dottore approached the new Knave to continue the deal. She rejected most of his proposals, with the exception being an independent "secret experiment" for which he only proposed the direction at most.[39]
Under Dottore's guidance, the Fatui performed research related to Eleazar, a disease only found in Sumeru. Collei was given to Barnabas for treatment and underwent painful and traumatic experiments with the remains of Nabu Malikata,[40] which was effective in suppressing Eleazar's effects but left her traumatized and afflicted with other symptoms.[41][42] Those symptoms went away after Cyno sealed away the gods' remains.[43]
Several of Dottore's segments spoke to inspector Eroch, preying on his insecurities to unseal Ursa the Drake. Eroch also learned of Dottore's endgoal of replicating divinity, and wished to join him in his crusade.[44]
At some point after Diluc's departure from Mondstadt and before the events of the manga's main story, Dottore single-handedly vanquished Ursa and made Mondstadt indebted to the Fatui.[45] Dottore began recruiting vulnerable targets in Mondstadt, luring them to the Fatui only to use them as test subjects for his and his subordinates' human experiments. He also began setting up an unknown project in Mondstadt, which he intended to check up on while attending Ludi Harpastum. It is unclear whether Dottore had a hand in the events surrounding Diluc's 18th birthday, such as giving Crepus a Delusion.
Manga
Dottore first appears in Haeresys, a Fatui underground arena where Krupp is putting his test subjects into fights against an unknown enemy. After his 139th subject, a boy Dottore had believed to be promising, dies, Dottore calls Krupp's work "pathetic as usual" and threatens to turn Krupp into one of his test subjects instead. Krupp, desperate to avoid that fate, turns his attention to Mondstadt's invitation to attend Ludi Harpastum in the hopes of replenishing their stock.[45]
The two arrived at Diluc's Manor, where Diluc and other prestigious members of Mondstadt high society have gathered. Dottore leaves most of the talk to Krupp, only speaking to express his disdain for the people of Mondstadt. He stalks off after Diluc delays the negotiations, but returns to silence Krupp when the "Darknight Hero" (a disguised Diluc) is about to interrogate him. Bemused by the boy's abilities, Dottore leaves, telling him to get stronger.[45]
No longer interested in Mondstadt, he drops the negotiations, orders his diplomats to withdraw, and returns to Haeresys first.[42] He does, however, reclaim Krupp's corpse to transform him into a Ruin Hunter-like monster. After learning of the Black Fire incident instigated by Collei, which left two of his diplomats dead, he expresses complete apathy towards the matter and leaves it to his subordinate Barnabas.[46]
He reappears in Chapter 16, where he expresses annoyance that the guards were incompetent enough to let the captured "Darknight Hero" escape, while Barnabas was severely wounded in the aftermath of his attack on Collei and Amber.
Present Day
Pre-Sumeru
Shortly before the start of the Traveler's journey, Dottore attended a performance, "The Mountain Sparrow," by the Korolevskiy Troupe, with Signora, Sandrone, Columbina, and Pantalone. A short time later, every Harbinger including Dottore attended a meeting in which Pierro outlined the Tsaritsa's plan to collect all the Gnoses.[47]
At a time before Mighty Cyclops' Adventure!, the Fatui built a Ruin Guard manufacturing facility as part of their research into the Abyss. Tartaglia believes that this facility belonged to Dottore, and that the whimsical researcher abandoned the autonomous facility after growing bored with it without shutting it down. This resulted in the manufactured Ruin Guards spreading into the surrounding area, attracting the attention of the Millelith. Towards the end of the Chapter, Tartaglia took his younger brother Teucer there, claiming it was the "Liyue Institute for Toy Research." Over the course of exploring the factory, Tartaglia and the Traveler end up wrecking the facility to keep Teucer safe.[48]
At some point, Pierro told Dottore about the false sky, which he took interest in and wrote down notes on it, believing it could be useful in the future.[49]
Some time after Tartaglia returned from Liyue but before Signora's death, Columbina and Dottore had a falling out,[50] caused by Columbina's realization that the Doctor wanted to exploit her abilities beyond a level she was comfortable with.[36][37] Reminded of the Frostmoon Scions' transactional expectations for a relationship, she lost interest in Dottore's kuuvahki experiments and stopped attending.[35]
One of Dottore's Segments appeared at La Signora's funeral, where Il Capitano presses him on the whereabouts of Scaramouche and the InazumanGnosis. Dottore's roundabout answer reveals he is waiting on Scaramouche to make a move first. Meanwhile, the Segment in the prime of Dottore's life is busy conducting an experiment in "blasphemy," which takes the form of burning a massive tree at an unknown location.[51]
Eventually, Dottore traveled to Sumeru Akademiya and, knowing that the Akademiya's sages revered the wisdom of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and disdained the current Dendro ArchonLesser Lord Kusanali, offered to create a new God of Wisdom for them out of Scaramouche. Even though Dottore was expelled from the Akademiya in ages past, the sages agreed.
Dottore was also interested in the Aranara, a race of strange mushroom creatures as he was interested in the connection between them, dreams, and The Withering that occurred in Sumeru; Trofin Snezhevich believes that he was interested in weaponizing dreams and the Withering for unknown purposes. Aware that only children could see the Aranara, he had the Fatui kidnap children to lure them; however, their powers allowed them to escape the trap and rescue the children at the same time.[52] The Farrokhzadan were a group of Eremites hired to help carry Dottore's tasks in Sumeru, although they also failed due to the Traveler's intervention.
At some point in time, the Desert Investigation Expedition Team led by Froderock Fronkonsteen, Dottore's subordinate, was dispatched to the Desert of Hadramaveth with a mission to investigate the current situation with the desert tribes.[53] They attempted to have dealings with the Tanit tribe, only to be manipulated by its matriarch, Babel.
Sumeru
Dottore makes his first appearance before the Traveler when they, Paimon, and Nahida (in Katheryne's body) attempt to get information on the sages' plans from Setaria. Having foreseen Setaria's wavering loyalties, Dottore and the sages put her in confinement and Dottore set up an ambush. Modifying the Akasha terminals to deposit information into people's minds, Dottore made them think of the Traveler as a great hero, which caused them to swarm the three. To save her people and buy her companions time to escape, Nahida plays her trump card: using her own powers to forcibly control the Akasha terminals and undo the changes which Dottore had affected. However, by doing so, she revealed her true nature to the Harbinger.[6]
Although Nahida initially manages to escape from Dottore, she realizes that his skill in modifying the Akasha meant it was only a matter of time before he would trap her consciousness. Meanwhile, Dottore predicted that the Traveler would attempt to rendezvous with Tighnari, who had turned down the sages' offer to join their project, and sent elite Eremite mercenaries after them. Although the Traveler and Nahida reunite at Pardis Dhyai and discover the sages' true objective — creating a new god in Scaramouche — Dottore succeeds in trapping Nahida's consciousness and his Eremite mercenaries destroy the Katheryne puppet.[54]
Dottore later visited Tighnari in order to acquire Haypasia claiming that he would be able to help her, but Tighnari refused, having suspected malevolent intent behind his claim. Having been recalled to the Tsaritsa, he later had a few subordinates stay behind to take her by force, diverting the Traveler and Dehya to Port Ormos. Despite the ruse, his subordinates were defeated and forced to retreat after Scaramouche began pelting the area with thunderbolts with Ei's Gnosis when the Traveler informed him that he was trying to take Haypasia.[55]
After the Traveler and Nahida defeated Scaramouche, Dottore's Omega Build confronts Nahida, using a special sound wave to put the Traveler and Paimon to sleep. He then negotiates with her, acquiring Ei's Electro Gnosis in return for destroying the other segments, with some being uncaring while others swore revenge. He also negotiated for her own Dendro Gnosis, after giving her information that the stars and skies were a "lie" before returning to the Tsaritsa in Snezhnaya. The Omega Build was pleased with the results in spite of losing his fellow segments and Scaramouche, finding himself in a good mood now that the other segments could no longer bother him. He presented the two Gnoses to the Tsaritsa, explaining he traded the secrets of the false sky in exchange for them.[49]
Dottore then began planning his next experiment in which he would try to split his soul to reach a particular destination. After much trial and error, Dottore perfected the technique of digitization and envisioned a scenario in which one half would be sent to the Ley Lines via death, while the other half would be uploaded as pure data. These two entities would collide in Irminsul, reforming him as a whole while retaining his memories.[49]
Natlan
Upon learning that the false sky was seen in Natlan, Dottore sent a small group of subordinates to infiltrate the nation from Nod-Krai to understand more about the Ancient Moon segments.[56]
Song of the Welkin Moon
Dottore, along with most of the Harbingers, was presumably present for the opening of the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau. He and Sandrone remained there while the others returned to Snezhnaya.[57] Following Columbina's abandonment of the Fatui, the Tsaritsa issued a Palestar Edict to retrieve her at all costs, which Dottore executed while pursuing his own agenda of acquiring the power of the Three Moons.
While in Nod-Krai, Dottore began sending members of the Fatui to antagonize the Frostmoon Scions with the intent of seizing the Eternal Moon's Marrow in their possession. Behind the scenes, he orchestrated Rerir's revival by gathering a large number of his body's fragments, causing an upsurge in Wild Hunt activity in the area. It is implied that Dottore wanted to exploit Rerir's obsession with the three moons to lead him to Columbina and possibly the Iridescent Moon's Marrow.
Meanwhile, Arlecchino and Sandrone, who disliked and distrusted Dottore, became suspicious of his low profile and attempted to investigate his motives, though they failed to find anything conclusive. Hoping to stall his plans, Arlecchino convinced the Tsaritsa to recall Dottore to Snezhnaya by arguing that there was no need for three Harbingers in Nod-Krai. However, Dottore managed to circumvent this order by ostensibly complying with it but secretly remaining within Nod-Krai.[58]
Through unknown means, Dottore managed to make contact with the phantoms residing within the ruins of Hyperborea when they appeared during the Trilunar Syzygy and gleaned new information about the moons through them. While Columbina was celebrating Moon-Prayer Night with her friends, he created a disturbance at Teyvat's borders in order to distract Alice and other members of the Hexenzirkel from getting in his way. Finally, when Columbina was about to ascend to the Frost Moon at a Hyperborean altar, Dottore managed to trick her into altering her trajectory towards a false moon he had specifically made to mimic the kuuvahki signature of the real one, imprisoning her and stealing both the Eternal and Iridescent Moon Marrows in her possession.
With all three moons in one place, Dottore obtained god-like powers over the primordial forces of Teyvat. He immediately used them to freeze time in order to prevent Columbina's friends from retaliating, although this failed to have any effect on the Traveler. In the ensuing battle, Columbina banished herself to the Moon's Reflection, causing Dottore to temporarily lose control over his powers and forcing him to retreat to his facility at the Special Territory Research Institute on Ashveil Peak.[59] He eventually manages to make up for this loss by synthesizing an Artificial Moon Marrow to substitute in Columbina's stead, and proceeds to turn parts of Nod-Krai into testing zones for his grotesque experiments.
The Traveler and the rest of the Nod-Krai cast attempt to confront Dottore in his facility, but they are easily overpowered and the Traveler ends up being captured within one of Dottore's spaces. Taking special interest in their status as a Descender, Dottore attempts to manipulate the Traveler into working together with him as part of on a grand experiment to transcend fate and become a god. He notices Nefer spying upon their conversation, but fails to capture her due to the intervention of Nicole. Ultimately, the Traveler ends up categorically refusing his offer, and is rescued from Dottore's clutches by Wanderer soon after.
The final confrontation with Dottore occurs as he makes his way to Nasha Town and challenges the Traveler, Flins, Lauma and Nefer as the False Moon God. During the fight, he tears open the False Sky to draw power from the darkened husk of the Frost Moon behind it, kills Pulonia and Sandrone, and isolates the Traveler's remaining allies one by one, hoping to ransom them for the Traveler's allegiance. However, his plans are thwarted when he fails to keep the Frost Moon from being pulled down into Teyvat due to the combined efforts of Varka, Arlecchino, Nicole, and Sandrone's formula.[36]
The return of the Frost Moon allows Columbina to be fully reborn as the sole Trilune Goddess of Teyvat, and upon joining forces with the Traveler, the tide turns against Dottore. They manage to land critical blows that dislodge the Eternal and Iridescent Moon Marrows from the device he created to contain them, weakening him considerably and allowing Columbina to free her friends. In a final attempt to survive, Dottore tries, unsuccessfully, to use the Artificial Moon Marrow as a shield to withstand a devastating moonbeam from Columbina, which shatters it and incinerates him in the process.[36]
With the first half of his theory fulfilled, Pantalone then moved into Sumeru with his forces, uploading parts of Dottore's data into Irminsul. The theory was successful and Dottore was made whole in Irminsul, where he began overriding Nahida's access over the system and putting her in a comatose state when she tried to investigate. In the process, he sprouted a massive Irminsul tree that fully manifested and began to grow on his whim. The growth was stopped after the people of Sumeru managed to use the Aaru system developed by King Deshret to replace the Irminsul and its functions, while Nahida shut down Irminsul, disconnecting it from the Ley Lines and making Dottore unable to access, interact or influence the Ley Lines and the world of Teyvat anymore, though he dismissed these efforts. The growth of the tree caused Nahida to realize that Dottore was the one behind the events, and the Traveler and Wanderer are sent to Irminsul's depths to deal with him. Dottore managed to locate the two with some effort and later confronted them, revealing that he knew Wanderer's true identity as Scaramouche. His meddling caused the Irminsul system to become irreversibly corrupted, forcing Nahida to use the Pyro Gnosis to burn the entire system down. As he was merged with Irminsul, Dottore was burned away along with the tree, finally ending his long life, though he was able to say farewell to Pantalone and Nahida before fading away, satisfied with the results of his experiment.[21]
Media:VO_Columbina About The Doctor.oggMedia:VO ZH_Columbina About The Doctor.oggMedia:VO JA_Columbina About The Doctor.oggMedia:VO KO_Columbina About The Doctor.oggThere was a time when "The Doctor" took care of me, even claiming to think of me as a sister. It was only later that I discovered, the closer you are to him, the more freely he uses you. "What's a little discomfort among family? We endure for each other, surely." That's how he thought of things, and I could tell he meant it, but I didn't want to have to "endure." Expectations like that... They took me back to my first home, and the eyes staring up at me from beneath the altar, so full of greed.
Media:VO_Sandrone Interesting Things.oggMedia:VO ZH_Sandrone Interesting Things.oggMedia:VO JA_Sandrone Interesting Things.oggMedia:VO KO_Sandrone Interesting Things.oggOutside of my research, I sometimes like to ponder metaphysical questions. Just as people from every nation have their own beliefs about death. I often hear people talking about the "afterlife," "where souls go to rest," things like that... But from the time my core was damaged fighting Il Dottore, to the time the "Stellar Linchpin" activated Alain's legacy and reactivated me, my memory is blank — completely empty. Where do mechanical constructs, "puppets," go when they die? How are our "souls" defined? Do we even have souls? There are no answers, so I always turn back to my research. But knowledge is the cornerstone of the world. I believe that as these stones continue to stack, one day their height alone will allow me to reach the answers to my doubts.
Media:VO_Wanderer About Regrator.oggMedia:VO ZH_Wanderer About Regrator.oggMedia:VO JA_Wanderer About Regrator.oggMedia:VO KO_Wanderer About Regrator.oggOh, the ninth-ranked guy. He's obsessed with the idea of "fair exchange," to the point of wanting to overthrow the natural imbalance between gods and humans. But, I guess it's just how ordinary mortals are like — it's easy for them to come up with pointless delusions. Honestly, it's nothing worth writing home about, just like how there's also nothing impressive about his abilities or choice of partner. Hmph. Anyone who chooses to work closely with The Doctor is sure to meet a nasty end.
Trivia
The Chinese version of the manga misspelled "Dottore" as "Dotorre,"[60] a mistake that was carried over into earlier chapters of the English translation. The English version rectified this mistake in later chapters.
Dottore's constellation represents a plague doctor mask, a kind of respirator with a large curved beak used by physicians in the 17th century. The raven-shaped accessory draped around his shoulders appears to be something very similar.
Dottore is likely inspired by the Muslim scholar Abu Bakr al-Razi, who is famously known for his contributions to medicine and his "alleged" criticism of religion, the latter having led to him being branded as a "heretic." Rhazes' criticism of religion plausibly inspired Dottore's ideology of wanting to elevate humans to the level of gods, as the real-life scholar had allegedly claimed that all humans could have the ability to access and discover truth, including the existence of God.
Dottore seems to have some thematic connection to the numbers 3, 4, and 7:
The three regions where his influence are the highest are the third, fourth and seventh.
Threefold Falsehood and Four Unspeakables begin with the left hand playing a chord of three notes and the right hand playing a single note, thus the number of notes totalling four, with the latter note being played seven times.
He uses the power of the Three Moon Goddesses in an attempt to usurp the authorities of the Four Great Rulers; in total, defying seven gods at once.
The Harbingers who stand against him in Nod-Krai are (or at one time were) the 3rd, 4th, and 7th.
The Exalted Master drops three Anomalous Tree Marrows, which combine into one, totalling four.
Anomalous Tree Marrow II includes dialogue from 7 iterations of him: six segments, plus the original mortal Zandik.
He has "died" three times: once when the original Zandik died of old age, once when Columbina destroyed his body during their fight in Nod-Krai, and once when he perished along with the burning of Irminsul.
When segment 35 deleted the other segments, 7 individual lines were heard.[14]
According to Nahida, the burning of Irminsul that he ultimately perished in lasted for 7 days and 7 nights.
Though the only segment in his final cinematic cut scene whose age is explicitly identified is 35, the others can be easily determined through context clues or process of elimination:
8 is the youngest and by far the smallest, with no mistaking him for any other segment.
18 is still somewhat shorter than the others and most closely resembles his appearance as an Akademiya student, with short, wavy hair, and still dresses in garb more closely resembling the Sumeru Akademiya's uniform.
25 has reached his full height and has hair that is still fairly short, but now slicked back similarly to all of his older iterations. He is also the segment shown to represent Zandik's life shortly after joining the Fatui, making him likely on the younger end.
35, the Omega Build, is the first segment introduced to the player in game and is stated to be the sole surviving segment after Nahida prompts him to destroy all the others.
This is also likely the segment Columbina refers to as "the segment in the prime of his life" given his age and his completion of the "experiment in blasphemy."
45 most closely resembles 35, making them likely to be close in age.
This is most likely the segment who appeared in A Winter Night's Lazzo, given the identical appearances.
65, as the only segment left unaccounted for, wears a full-face raven-shaped mask resembling a plague doctor's, which hides his age. He's also the only segment who walks with a cane, a trait shared with the original, elder Zandik.
The total amount of segments is somewhat unclear, as only 6 were featured in the flashback cinematic and the records in Anomalous Tree Marrow; however, the presence of at least 7 voices upon their destruction by segment 35, as well as many hands resembling his own pulling 35 back into Irminsul as it burned, might indicate that the segments made more of themselves after Zandik's death.
Alternatively, as only the same six previously mentioned segments were involved even in procedures Pantalone went through very recently (including a surgery that seemed to be all-hands-on-deck, even so far as including the 8-year-old), some of those lines may have overlap in which of the deleted segments delivered them, and the Dottore-like figures grasping 35 as he died could be symbolic (as there were still several more individuals than the maximum 8, if we were to assume 7 deleted segments plus mortal Zandik).
Like the other Harbingers, Dottore's alias is derived from a stock character in commedia dell'arte. "Il Dottore" (The Doctor) is usually extremely rich and bombastic, loving the sound of his own voice. In commedia dell'arte, he typically tries to interfere with the Innamorati "The Lovers." He is also linked to Pantalone as they are both vecchi (aged old men in Commedia tradition that typically scheme to keep the Innamorati away from each other).
Zandik (𐭦𐭭𐭣𐭩𐭪Zandīk) is a Middle Persian term which refers to a heretic, or any person who did not follow Zoroastrian orthodoxy.
↑Dottore did not develop his segments until several decades after Scaramouche joined the Fatui, which was sometime after their mutual involvement in the Tatarasuna Mystery 400 years ago; given that Dottore was 35 at the time, and Zandik died at 85 years old, about 50 years passed in between.
↑A total of seven voices are heard as 35 erases the other segments in Where the Boat of Consciousness Lies, while eleven versions of Dottore are seen reaching out to drag 35 down with them in the Cutscene Animation: "Crucible of Causality".
↑ 4.04.1There is debate over whether the segment from A Winter Night's Lazzo, who appears as a distinct segment in Those Who Shun the Light as Zandik dies but makes no other appearance in the cutscene, corresponds to 25 or 45. Various dialogue snippets in Anomalous Tree Marrow II indicate that he is 25 and that the surgeon-garbed segment is 45:
The surgeon-garbed segment has lines under his eyes that make him look more aged.
35 was mistaken for 25 by his fellow Harbingers when he went to eat at the cafeteria after 25 did, when the other major segment ages are visually distinct from each other.
45 checked the new operating room equipment Sandrone sent when it was delivered and also expressed the greatest amount of excitement over dissecting Zandik, fitting the visual depiction of the surgeon-garbed segment. Notably, in the latter instance, 25 does not seem to be excited to the same degree as 45, as 25 asks 45, "[...] do you have to be so excited?"; this would be strange if 25 is visually depicted as a surgeon-garbed segment.
Zandik remarks that he became more introverted in his forties when 35 decides to meet Columbina, making it more logical for 45 to neither volunteer for nor be sent to attend meetings like the Lazzo segment and 35 were.
As shown during various flashbacks, the outfits of the Segments were worn by Zandik during his career. During Chalice of Your Blood and Sorrow, Zandik is shown wearing glasses, which according to Testament to Your Faith comes after Pantalone has been a Harbinger for some amount of time, making it unlikely to be during Zandik's younger years.
↑Zandik's own notes recorded on the 13th of May instead state that he independently decided to patch up his senior research partner's injuries, and that he suggested they stay in the ruin so he could rest (though he does say it's "not such a bad thing," since it meant he could research the ruins by himself for a longer period). It isn't until the 16th that he states he met Thoth and that saving his senior was "definitely the correct decision," which might imply he had already decided he wasn't going to leave him behind anyway, though Thoth still felt his attitude warranted enough concern to be unsure.
↑Archon Quest, Song of the Welkin Moon, Act V - A Nocturne of the Far North, Part 2: Ripples That Will Never Reach (WandererThe player's chosen name for the Wanderer): Dottore... or Zandik as he was then known, once studied at the Akademiya. But he got kicked out before he could graduate.
